Backpack frame suited for toting heavy, large, or irregular loads

ABSTRACT

A backpack frame has a front frame member in a front plane and a rear frame member in a rear plane that is spaced rearwardly of the front frame member. At least one spacer is connected between the frame members to hold the rear frame member in spaced relationship behind the front frame member. The rear frame member defines a load stand-off element at the rear plane to contact the load and to hold the load away from the body and legs of the user while the user is walking. One or more shoulder-engaging members such as a pair of straps is positioned for placement on the shoulders of the user and a flexible back-engaging panel member is connected in position to rest against the user&#39;s back below the shoulders to place a user&#39;s back at or forward of the front plane. A load-carrying support member on the backpack frame extends at least as far rearwardly as the rear plane to carry the load. The load support member can be one or more hooks having a straight rearwardly extending portion with an upper surface to carry the load and an upwardly extending projection spaced rearwardly of the rear plane to prevent the load from sliding rearwardly on the support member.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to backpacks and backpack frames and moreparticularly to a backpack frame that is especially well suited forcarrying heavy loads, large loads, and irregularly shaped loads.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The backpack frames that are currently available for carrying huntingand camping equipment or survival gear are not well suited for carryinglarge, heavy, or irregularly shaped loads. This is a problemparticularly in carrying hunting equipment such as a ladder stand ortree stand for hunting game like deer, elk, bear, etc. A tree stand, orladder stand as it is sometimes called, consists of an extendable steelor aluminum ladder that is folded up prior to use and has a platform atits upper end which can be used alone, hung from a tree, or simplyleaned against a tree or other object. When folded, a typical steel oraluminum ladder stand is about five to six feet in height, may weighabout 65-90 pounds or more, and sometimes has to be carried through thewoods for more than a mile. In developing the present invention, theapplicant evaluated commercially available backpack frame devices andfound them to be inadequate for carrying a five-foot high folded ladderstand that weighed upward of 80 pounds. One of the problems is thediscomfort that can be caused by the ladder stand pressing against theback of the user. Another problem is an opportunity for the ladder standto dig into the lower part of the back or buttocks. It was also foundthat while walking, the backs of the legs could contact the lower partof the folded ladder stand. This interferes with a person's naturalstride while walking. A further problem is the discomfort that can becaused by the upper part of a load swinging toward the rear so as topull back on the shoulders. Prior frames are also poorly suited fortoting articles of an irregular shape, especially those having cornersor other projections that in previous backpacks can press against theuser's body. Consequently, it is virtually impossible to carry a largeor heavy object such as a deer hunter's ladder stand with comfort usinga commercially available backpack frame.

In view of these and other deficiencies of the prior art, it is oneobject of the present invention to provide a backpack frame that is wellsuited for carrying large, heavy, or irregularly shaped loads such as afolding ladder stand or tree stand of the kind used by hunters.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved backpack framefor large and heavy loads that is suited for a wide range ofapplications, e.g., carrying hunting or fishing gear, constructionequipment, tools, camping equipment, or survival gear, and other heavyloads.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a backpackframe that enables a person to carry a heavy load comfortably and tofind a way of keeping a lower portion of the load that hangs down belowthe waist away from contacting the back of the legs of the user so thatthe user is able to walk comfortably with a natural stride.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a backpack frame forcarrying heavy loads or loads with projecting parts that keeps the loadfrom touching or pressing against the back of the user.

Another object is to provide a backpack frame that is light in weightyet rugged in construction and reliably supports a heavy load that mayextend above the head of the user as well as below the waist and behindthe legs.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a backpack framethat can be used by hunters, campers, contractors, fishermen, etc., thatcomfortably supports a large, irregularly shaped load that is awkward tohandle in a manner that will not interfere with walking.

These and other more detailed and specific objects of the presentinvention will be better understood by reference to the followingFigures and detailed description which illustrate by way of example buta few of the various forms of the invention within the scope of theappended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a backpack frame having a front framemember in a front plane and a rear frame member in a rear plane that islocated rearwardly of the front frame member. At least one spacer isconnected between the frame members to hold the rear frame member inspaced relationship behind the front frame member. A forwardly extendingshoulder-engaging member is positioned for placement on the shoulders ofthe user. A flexible back-engaging member such as a panel is connectedto the backpack frame and is positioned to rest against the user's backbelow the shoulders to position a user's back at or forward of the frontplane. The rear frame member defines a load stand-off element at therear plane to contact the load and to hold it away from the body andlegs of the user while the user is walking. A load-carrying supportmember provided on the backpack frame extends at least as far rearwardlyas the rear plane to support a load to be carried. The support membercan be a hook having a rearwardly extending straight portion with anupper surface to carry the load and an upwardly extending projectionspaced rearwardly of the rear plane to prevent the load from slidingrearwardly on the support member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the invention on a larger scale.

FIG. 4 is a left side elevational view of the invention showing aforward part of the load in dashed lines, and

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the invention on a smaller scaleas it appears during use with a load in dashed lines supported thereon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

To provide a solution to problems that characterize the prior art, Iprovide a backpack frame with a front frame member in a front plane andbehind it a rear frame member in a rear plane that is preferably locatedseveral inches behind the front frame member. I provide at least onespacer between the frame members to hold the rear frame member away fromthe front frame member. The rear frame member can be thought of as aload stand-off element at the rear plane to contact the load and to holdthe load away from the body and legs of the user while the user iswalking. A shoulder-engaging member is positioned for placement on theshoulders of the user and a flexible back-engaging member such as apanel that can be formed from a sheet of open mesh fabric is connectedto the backpack frame and is positioned to rest against the user's backbelow the shoulders to position a user's back at or forward of the frontplane. I also provide one or more load-carrying support members on thebackpack frame. Each load support member should extend at least as farrearwardly as the rear plane to support a load to be carried behind therear frame member. The load support member can be a hook having astraight rearwardly extending horizontal portion with an upper surfaceupon which the load rests and an upwardly extending projection spacedrearwardly of the rear plane to prevent the load from sliding rearwardlyon the support member.

Refer now to the Figures which illustrate a backpack frame 10 inaccordance with the invention that includes at least one front framemember. In the embodiment illustrated, a pair of vertically disposed,laterally spaced apart front frame members 12 and 14 are formed fromlightweight steel tubing such as 16 gauge ¾″ or 1″ tubing having rubberor plastic caps 16 secured to their upper and lower ends. The frontframe members 12 and 14 lie in a front plane 18 (see FIG. 4). Betweenthe frame members 12 and 14 is stretched a flexible back-engagingmember, in this case a flexible panel 20 formed from open mesh nylonplastic fabric, e.g., Leno™ mesh which is held in place by laterallystretched lacing 22 at each side that extends around the upright tubularframe members 12 and 14. During use, the back panel 20 is positioned torest against the back of the user below the shoulders to position theuser's back at or forward of the front plane 18. If desired, the panel20 can instead be one or more horizontally extending flexible bands orstraps that are connected at each end to the upright frame members 12and 14 rather than a single sheet of panel material 20.

Spaced rearwardly from the front frame members 12 and 14 and the frontplane 18 is at least one rear frame member. In this case, I provide apair of laterally spaced apart, generally upright and parallel rearframe tubes 24 and 26 which are positioned in a rear plane 28 that isspaced rearwardly of the front plane 18. At least one spacer member, inthis case a pair of vertically spaced apart, generally horizontallydisposed spacer members comprising steel tubes 30 and 32 are connected,e.g., by welding between the front and rear frame members to hold therear frame members 24 and 26 several inches behind the front framemembers 12 and 14 so as to establish the positions of the front and rearplanes 18 and 28.

In a preferred form of the invention, the rear plane is typicallybetween about two to twelve inches behind the front plane 18, and mostpreferably between about three and six inches to the rear of the frontplane 18. In the most preferred form of the invention, the rear plane 28is positioned on an incline and at an acute angle of, say, 5°-20°, inthis case 10° from the front plane 18 with its lower end angledrearwardly. In the embodiment illustrated in the Figures, spacer 30holds the rear frame members 24 and 26 about three inches behind thefront frame members 12 and 14 at the top and lower spacer 32 holds therear frame members about four or five inches apart from the front framemembers near the bottom of the unit whereby the lower part of the loadis inclined so as to proceed rearwardly away from the user's legs.

As shown best in FIG. 3, the spacers 30 and 32 each have a generallyC-shaped configuration. Spacer 30 has two lateral bends 30 a and thespacer 32 has two bends 32 a. The spacers 30 and 32 are welded at theirends to the front tubes 12 and 14 and near the bends 30 a and 32 a tothe rear frame members 24 and 26 for establishing a predeterminedspacing between the plane 18 of the front frame members and plane 28 ofthe rear frame members. As is best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rear framemembers 24 and 26 define a load stand-off element at the rear plane 28which contacts a load indicated generally by numeral 40 (only the frontedge of which is shown in FIG. 4) to hold the load 40 away from the bodyand legs of the user as the user is walking so that the user canmaintain a normal walking stride without the back of the legs strikingthe lower portion 42 of the load which may extend a foot or two belowthe waist of the user. In a modified form of the invention, if several,say four to eight, of the spacers 30, 32 are used, their rear edges willdefine the rear plane 28 and serve as rear frame members so as toreplace the tubes 24 and 26 which can then be eliminated.

The load 40 is carried by at least one load-carrying support member. Asshown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a pair of load-carrying support brackets 44 and46 formed from metal tubing are welded or otherwise firmly secured tothe rear frame members 24 and 26. The load-carrying support brackets 44and 46 are generally horizontal and extend at least as far rearwardly asthe rear plane 28 and most preferably extend rearwardly from the rearplane 28 several inches, in this case about six inches to carry the load40. The rearwardly extending horizontal portions of support members 44and 46 act as hooks with upper surfaces that carry the load 40 and haveupwardly extending projections such as tabs 48 and 50 that are welded inplace at or behind the rear plane 28 to prevent the load from slidingrearwardly on the support bracket tubes 44 and 46.

To hold the backpack frame on the back, at least one shoulder-engagingmember is provided for placement on the shoulders of the user. Theshoulder-engaging member in this case comprises a pair of forwardlyextending straps 52 and 54 which are fastened in any secure manner,e.g., by bolts 56 and 58 at their upper ends to the spacer 30 and bymeans of bolts 60 and 62 at their lower ends to the front frame members12 and 14 respectively.

The best way to use the invention is to place the backpack frame 10 onthe ground, attach the load 40, then kneel, put on the shoulder straps,and stand up. In FIGS. 4 and 5 the load 40 illustrated is a hunter'stree stand or, as it is sometimes called, a ladder stand for elevating ahunter to a position for spotting and shooting game. The tree stand 40can be carried by placing one of the rungs of the ladder as shown at 40a on the support brackets 44 and 46 so that the projections 48 and 50extend upwardly behind the rung 40 a to prevent the load from slidingrearwardly on the brackets. It will be seen that the lower end 42 of theload rests against the lower edge of the rear frame members 24 and 26 asubstantial distance behind the front plane 18 as already noted. Thisholds the load 40 away from the body and legs of the user while the useris walking so that the user can maintain a comfortable walking postureand a regular walking stride without his legs bumping into the lowerportion 42 of the load 40.

The invention allows a person to carry a large or heavy load such as theladder stand shown or other camping equipment, as well as any of avariety of other articles such as construction equipment, tools,survival gear, or other large, heavy, or irregular objects comfortablyand with a natural stride. It is light, rugged in construction, andreliable in operation. It can be manufactured inexpensively, it iscompact, easy to use, and enables a person to carry loads that werepreviously very difficult to manage. The invention also has theadvantage of keeping irregularly shaped loads or loads with corners orsurface extensions from jabbing into the body of the person carryingthem.

Many variations of the present invention within the scope of theappended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art once theprinciples described herein are understood.

1. A backpack frame comprising, at least one front frame member in afront plane, at least one rear frame member in a rear plane that isspaced rearwardly of the front frame member, at least one spacerconnected between the frame members to hold the rear frame member inspaced relationship a predetermined distance behind a front framemember, a shoulder-engaging member positioned on the backpack frame forplacement on the shoulders of the user, a flexible back-engaging memberconnected to the backpack frame and positioned to rest against the backof the user below the shoulders to position the user's back at orforward of the front plane, a load-carrying support member on thebackpack frame that extends rearwardly at least as far as the rear planeto support a load to be carried thereby, and the rear frame memberdefines a load stand-off element at the rear plane to contact the loadand hold the load away from the back and legs of the user while the useris walking.
 2. The backpack frame of claim 1 wherein the support memberis a hook having a rearwardly extending portion with an upper surface tocarry the load and an upwardly extending projection spaced rearwardly ofthe rear plane to prevent the load from sliding rearwardly on thesupport member.
 3. The frame of claim 1 wherein the front frame membercomprises a pair of vertically disposed laterally spaced apart framemembers and the back-engaging member is connected to extendtherebetween.
 4. The backpack frame of claim 1 wherein the rear framemember in the rear plane includes at least one generally upright elementthat is connected at its upper and lower ends to the spacer.
 5. Theframe of claim 1 wherein the load-carrying support member comprises apair of rearwardly extending laterally spaced apart generallyhorizontally disposed hook elements each with a projection that extendsupwardly from a rear end thereof that is spaced rearwardly of the rearplane to prevent the load from sliding on the backpack frame.
 6. Abackpack frame comprising, a pair of laterally spaced apart front frameelements with a back-engaging member suspended therebetween to contactthe back of the user below the shoulders to position the user's back ator forward of a front plane defined by the front frame elements, aspacer assembly including an upper spacer element that extendsrearwardly proximate an upper end of the front frame elements and alower spacer element that extends rearwardly from the lower end of thefront frame elements for defining a rear plane, a rear frame memberlocated at the rear plane as a load stand-off element at the rear planethat is spaced apart from the front plane to contact the load and tohold the load away from body and legs of the user while the user iswalking.
 7. The backpack frame of claim 6 including a support membercomprising a hook having a rearwardly extending portion with an uppersurface to carry the load and an upwardly extending projection spaced ator rearwardly of the rear plane to prevent the load from slidingrearwardly on the support member.
 8. The backpack frame of claim 6wherein the rear frame member in the rear plane includes at least onevertical element that is connected at its upper and lower ends to thespacer assembly.
 9. The frame of claim 6 wherein including aload-carrying support member that comprises a pair of rearwardlyextending laterally spaced apart horizontally disposed tubes each with aprojection that extends upwardly from a rear end thereof and is spacedrearwardly of the rear plane to prevent the load from sliding on thebackpack frame.
 10. A backpack frame comprising, a pair of verticallydisposed laterally spaced apart front frame members in a front plane, aflexible back-engaging panel suspended between the front frame membersand positioned to rest against the back of the user to position theuser's back at or forward of the front plane, a pair of laterally spacedapart vertically disposed rear frame members positioned in a rear planethat is spaced rearwardly of the front frame members with at least onespacer connected between the frame members to hold the rear framemembers in spaced relationship behind the front frame members, a liftingmember connected to the backpack frame and positioned to rest on thebody of the user, and a load-carrying element on the backpack frame thatextends rearwardly at least as far rearward as the rear plane to supporta load to be carried thereby.
 11. The backpack frame of claim 10 whereinthe load-carrying element is a rod or tube that extends rearwardlythereon with an upper surface to carry the load and an upwardlyextending projection spaced rearwardly of the rear plane to prevent theload from sliding rearwardly thereon.
 12. The backpack frame of claim 10wherein the rear frame members in the rear plane are rigidly connectedat their upper and lower ends to one such spacer.
 13. The frame of claim10 wherein the load-carrying element comprises a pair of straightrearwardly extending laterally spaced apart generally horizontallydisposed hook elements each with a tab that extends upwardly from a rearend thereof and is spaced rearwardly of the rear plane to prevent theload from sliding rearwardly on the backpack frame.
 14. The frame ofclaim 10 wherein the lifting member includes a pair of straps eachconnected at an upper end to the spacer and at a lower end to one of thefront frame members.
 15. The frame of claim 1 wherein the rear plane andthe rear frame member are positioned relative to the front frame memberat an acute angle in which the rear frame member is inclined so as toproject rearwardly at a lower end thereof with respect to the frontframe member.